Sorry We Can't be There
by Literapture
Summary: Birchkit's apprentice ceremony rewritten. Written for a friend's birthday. Oneshot


**Quick little piece written for a friend's birthday. Hope you enjoy it! :)  
Oh yeah; Disclaimer: I don't own 'Warriors'... it's all from Erin Hunter... aka Vicky Holmes, Cherith Baldry, Kate Carry, and Tui Sutherland.  
**

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"Is that the best you can hunt?" Hollykit scoffed. "You're more lopsided then a three-legged badger!"

Birchkit sat up, abandoning his attempt at a successful hunter's crouch. "What do you mean?" he demanded in mock offence, "That was my best squirrel stalking technique!" His whiskers twitched forward giving away his amusement.

Hollykit snorted. "Some squirrel you'd catch. I'm not sure the clan would appreciate deaf and blind fresh-kill too often."

Birchkit crouched down, tail tip twitching. "I'll show you deaf and blind," he growled and leapt at his sibling, claws sheathed. Before he could land a blow though, Hollykit dodged, dropping to the ground and rolling instantly to the left leaving Birchkit to land clumsily on all fours in a cloud of dust. "Hey!" he whipped around to glare at his sister only to find her rolling on her back in amusement at his failed attack. She stopped wriggling after a moment to tip her head back, looking at Birchkit upside-down.

"Too obvious," she mewed, smugness all too clear in her voice. "How could any cat have missed that coming?"

Just then a blur of tabby and moss burst out of the nursery entrance just behind Hollykit. With a piercing yowl it landed squarely on Hollykit's exposed stomach, forcing the air out of her lungs in a great huff. Making sure to pin Hollykit's paws against her chest, the cat leaned down menacingly. Teeth bared half a whisker's length from Hollykit's ear, she growled quietly, "Never let your guard down in enemy territory."

Hollykit squirmed and managed to free one paw. She aimed a swat at the cat, hitting her hard around the nose. "Larchkit! You mousebrain! What was that for? I thought you said you didn't feel like playing this morning!"

Birchkit's other sister leapt lightly off of her ruffled littermate, barely missing another smack. "I lied," she mewed happily, practically dancing from paw to paw with giddy energy.

Birchkit padded over to Hollykit's side and poked her lightly in the ribs. "Hm, how could any cat have missed _that_ coming?" he mewed smugly then leapt back to avoid a swipe now aimed at him, though he noticed her claws were still sheathed.

Hollykit glared. "Don't you start too," she grumbled, tail tip twitching.

"Yes, Holly_star_," he mewed, head dipped in mock respect. Larchkit pranced over, ears perked.

"Hey, if she's leader then I'm certainly deputy!" She attempted to sit still and dignified beside her sister but her ruffled and dust coated pelt made her look as much like a kit as any of them.

Hollykit snorted. "Who in their right mind would make you deputy?" she scoffed but Birchkit noticed the humor in her eyes as she nudged her littermate affectionately.

Birchkit opened his mouth to speak but before he could make a sound a loud yowl echoed across the hollow making him whip around, expectant. Firestar stood imposingly on the highledge. With his wide shoulders and fur glowing ginger in the sunlight he looked a formidable force but his green gaze was kind as he looked down into the camp at the kits.

"Now, Firestar?" Birchkit asked, his ears pricked. The ginger cat's whiskers twitched forward in amusement at the kit's eagerness but he nodded slightly before turning back to face the rest of the camp. At his first yowl a few cats had already started to make their way towards the space around the highledge but to be sure, Firestar opened his mouth again.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join me here beneath the highledge for a clan meeting!" he yowled. Two or three cats made their way out of their dens and finally a patrol, Squirrelflight among them, bounded in through the thorn barrier and broke apart to sit amongst the cats already gathered.

Birchkit turned to his littermates. "Come on!" he mewed. Both she-cats turned to look at him and he could see their eyes glowed with matching excitement. But before they could all bound across the hollow to join the meeting, Birchkit suddenly found himself pinned, the rough tongue of his mother, Ferncloud, rasping over his dust-covered pelt.

"What're you doing?" he complained, trying to wriggle free and not succeeding particularly. "I need to be over _there_!"

Hollykit turned back to look at him struggling. "Well, you'll need to look like a proper warrior, won't you?" she purred sweetly. Birchkit glared at her.

Ferncloud continued her cleaning. "I'm hardly going to let you go looking like that," she murmured between licks. Birchkit squirmed and finally managed to get a paw free which he used to drag himself from his mother's grasp.

"It's not a warrior's job to look good," he grumbled, but he unobtrusively tried to flatten the fur around his ears with one paw as he padded, with as much dignity as he could muster, towards the highledge. As soon as he sat down, Firestar leapt lithely down the rocky ascent to stand in front of the young cat, regarding him closely for a moment before turning back to face the clan.

"This is a good day for ThunderClan," he began. "By naming apprentices, we show that ThunderClan will survive and remain strong," he turned back to look down at Birchkit. "Birchkit, from now on you will be known as Birchpaw."

Birchpaw nodded enthusiastically. Beside him Hollykit purred and Larchkit nudged her brother's shoulder encouragingly.

"Ashfur, you are ready for an apprentice," Firestar continued. "You will be Birchpaw's mentor."

Excitement brimming over, Birchpaw bounded over to the gray flecked warrior, looking far too much like a kit then an apprentice but he hardly cared. He stretched up and Ashfur bent his head to touch noses with him. In his eyes Birchpaw could see his own excitement and pride reflected in dark blue hues.

Firestar stepped forward. "Ashfur, you too have known loss and grief, and found the strength to deal with them."

Birchpaw sat up, straight and proud. "Hey, Hollystar," he whispered quietly while the rest of the clan listened carefully to their leader's words. "If you're leader and Larchkit's your deputy, will I be anything important?"

Hollykit purred. "Of course, stupid furball," she whispered back. "You'll be the best warrior this, or any clan, has ever seen."

"Sorry we couldn't be here with you," Larchkit whispered, brushing her tail lightly along Birchpaw's back.

Birchpaw turned to look them both in the eyes. "Of course you're both with me," he mewed quietly. "And you always will be. That's not going to change."

They both purred loudly at that. Birchpaw turned back to face the clan to find them calling out his new name, welcoming him as an apprentice of ThunderClan.

"Thank you, Birchpaw," a voice whispered, barely audible, into his ear and Birchpaw purred.

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**Alla fine... thanks for reading.  
...reviews are appreciated, please and thank you... ^^"**


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